ISM 645 AU Aligning IT Strategy with Business Initiatives Paper

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Computer Science

ISM 645

ashford university

ISM

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Prior to beginning work on this assignment read Chapter 4 from the course text and review the relevant information from this week’s lecture. Review the instructions below and research at least three additional scholarly sources to support your statements. You may wish to review the recommended resources for this week for assistance with finding appropriate resources.

In previous weeks you have constructed a mission statement, a vision statement, and a time-line horizon. Additionally, you identified the strategic initiatives of the business and built an IT Major Projects Plan. This week you will put these all together in an aligned and coordinated IT Strategic Matrix in which you will match the major projects that you want to accomplish over the next one to three years with the company’s strategic business initiatives. Within this hierarchy, the business develops its strategy and specific initiatives, and as the IT Leader you will build your strategy from those initiatives. In some cases this presents some duplication of effort, but at some point, a consolidation of direction and efforts must take place in order to move the business forward. In order for IT to be successful (meaning, it drives the business forward and supports its mission and vision productively), it must sync up its activities to those needed by the business.

In this assignment you will write a 4-5 page paper that describes the alignment of IT Strategic Plans with the Strategic Business Initiatives.

Using the ISM645 Acme Full Strategic Plan, determine the elements of the business initiatives and match them to the major IT strategic projects necessary. Discuss the strategic relationship between the elements within your narrative and why you aligned the specific IT initiatives to the Business initiatives.

Include the following elements in your paper.

  • Align the IT strategies with the corporate strategies and business initiatives.
  • Identify the potential future IT needs for each business initiative utilizing research and innovative practices.
  • Align IT strategic elements against a one, two, and three year time frame.
  • Create a cost estimate for each IT strategic element
  • Include a matrix that shows the alignment of the IT Strategic Plan and the Strategic Business Initiatives.

Refer to the ISM645 Business Initiative IT Planning Matrix Worksheet to for a guide to creating the table.

The Alignment of IT Strategies with Business Initiatives paper

  • Must be completed in the provided ISM645 Business Initiative IT Plan Matrix template.
  • Must include a separate title page with the following:
    • Title of paper
    • Student’s name
    • Course name and number
    • Instructor’s name
    • Date submitted
  • Must use at least three scholarly sources in addition to the course text.
  • Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
  • Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

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ISM645 IT Strategic Planning -- Acme Full Strategic Plan Acme Corporation Strategic Plan 2014-2016 As of June 5, 2015 Full Strategic Plan MISSION STATEMENT The mission of Acme Corporation Technology is to create technology solutions for forward-thinking organizations VISION STATEMENT To be known as the technology experts and resource center for small to medium-sized organizations. This is where you type your description. CORE VALUES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Purpose & Growth - our foundation is built on our purpose and provides a place for our team's passion Client Focus - a razor-sharp focus on our customer's growth is essential and the only way to succeed. Integrity - to have honesty and respect for all individuals. Leadership - to empower and inspire entrepreneurial leaders. Professionalism - to be professional in our actions to our clients, partners and each other. Excellence - to continually pursue knowledge and learn. Community Service - to effectively help organizations to make an impact. Fun - to have enjoyment and fulfillment in our work COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Reoccurring revenue that is scalable Assets and software products in place outside our services Innovative in marrying business process with technology Business Network - domestic and international Patented Intellectual Property - interactive, integrated web-based STRATEGIC ISSUES What is the best method to meld the different cultures and build a strong team to most effectively deliver on mission? How do we build and incorporate consistency in our growth strategies, standardized operating procedures and communications in light of frequent changes in leadership? How do we best meet the growth operations and service demands in light of consistent budget cuts? ORGANIZATION-WIDE STRATEGIES Organization-Wide Focus: 2013 - Lay the foundation for the organization. 2014 - Execute a market penetration strategy to increase top line. 2015 - Standardization of all processes. 2016 - Develop the infrastructure to prepare for high growth. CUSTOMER SEGMENTS Current Customers Program or Product New Customers Has an existing system in place. Needs minimal to maximum coaching through the package selection process and installation. Willing to hire someone. Willing to commit time, money and staff. Willing to be facilitated throughout the process. Describe how program or product are service people. Needs a quick solution to focus and guide their business. Needs a tool to get started. Want a self-support product. Desire to move their business to the next level. Ready to commit time and money to their information systems. Do it-yourselves. Not necessarily sole-proprietors. Needs to be easy, practical and simple. Linear use. Do it and it is done. More than 5 employees. Established business. Size of market: of Small Businesses: 5.5 million STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2016 - AT-A-GLANCE FINANCIAL STRATEGICOBJECTIVES&ORGANIZATION GOALS 1 Revenue Growth: Grow our revenue by 30% each year 1.1 KPI - Generate sales of $1.5 m illion by the end of the year. 2 Productivity Improvement: Maintain a 20% Net Profit Margin each year 2.1 Maintain profitability with a budget allocation of 50% for business re- investm ent for product developm ent. 2.2 Increase average billable hour factor. (Source: Tim e- tracking Program ) CUSTOMER STRATEGICOBJECTIVES&ORGANIZATION GOALS 3 Professional Services: To be the professional partner of choice. 3.1 Professional Service: Acquire 2 new consulting clients $10,000+ per m onth. 4 Maintenance Contracts: To be viewed as the top technology resource in the western region. 4.1 Maintenance Contracts: Acquire an average of 5 new m aintenance contracts per m onth 4.2 Licensing: Acquire 1,500 total licenses by the end of the year. 4.3 Maintain 85% of our current custom ers. INTERNAL/OPERATIONAL STRATEGICOBJECTIVES&ORGANIZATION GOALS 5 Innovation/Product Development: Continue to develop technology innovation. 5.1 Launch integration with 2 other applications. 6 Overall Operations: Develop and maintain an infrastructure that allows for a virtual office and efficient overhead. 6.1 Set up com puters to be accessed from any destination. 6.2 Define all procedures and process in writing in order to support projected growth. 6.3 Blogs & Newsletters: Consistently tim ely relevant thought leadership that is developed, published and preserved. PEOPLE ANDLEARNINGSTRATEGICOBJECTIVES&ORGANIZATION GOALS 7 Training: Actively help our team to develop and grow professional and personally by supporting a flexible work life, providing intellectually engaging work, and fair compensation. 7.1 Train sales people in best practices 7.2 Develop better com m unication and presentation skills to increase ability to work with and assist clients. 8 Community Involvement: Develop and implement a corporate giving strategy that is in line with our competitive advantages. 8.1 Manage the selection, contribution and custom er com m unication of nonprofit donations. Target is 15% of revenue. 9 Long Term Strategic Objective (No assignment, far reaching and broad based, 3-5 years out) [**Sample Goal Cascading**] 9.1 Organizational Goal (Corporate- wide, generally not assigned, 18- 24 m onths) [**Sam ple Goal Cascading**] STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2016 - DETAIL FINANCIAL STRATEGICOBJECTIVES&ORGANIZATION GOALS 1 Revenue Growth: Grow our revenue by 30% each year 1.1 KPI - Generate sales of $1.5 million by the end of the year. ( Administration) (12/31/17) Department Goals and Team Member Goals 1.1.1 Maintenance Contracts: Generate $500,000 in m aintenance contracts. (Marketing) 1.1.2 Software Licenses: Generate $300,000 in added software features by the end of each FY. (Adm inistration) 1.1.2.1 Secure 25 new license contracts weekl y (Music, Children. (Top#5) (Nate Platt) 1.1.2.1.1 Create new contract for weekl y licenses. (Crystal O' Langdon) 1.1.2.2 Develop 20 software programs to monitor licenses. (Grant H owell) 1.1.3 Professional Consulting: Generate $200,000 in web design consulting. #sam ple (Custom er Service) 1.1.4 Increase sales conversion by 5% (Adm inistration) Measure: $ in sales EOY Target: $1,500,000 Measure EOY Target Start Date, End Date $ $500,000 01/01/13 12/31/15 $ generated $300,000 01/01/14 12/31/16 # of new license contracts 25 01/01/14 12/31/15 % compl ete 100% 01/01/15 06/30/15 # of software programs 20 01/01/14 12/31/15 $ - net incom e $200,000 01/01/13 12/31/14 Percent 25% 01/01/14 12/31/15 2 Productivity Improvement: Maintain a 20% Net Profit Margin each year 2.1 Maintain profitability with a budget allocation of 50% for business re-investment for product development. ( Administration) ( 12/31/15) Measure: % for product developm ent EOY Target: 50% 2.2 Increase average billable hour factor. ( Source: Time-tracking Program) ( Administration) ( 12/31/15) Measure: $ per billable hour. EOY Target: $220 CUSTOMER STRATEGICOBJECTIVES&ORGANIZATION GOALS 3 Professional Services: To be the professional partner of choice. 3.1 Professional Service: Acquire 2 new consulting clients $10,000+ per month. ( Administration) ( 12/31/15) Department Goals and Team Member Goals 3.1.1 Develop 2 new webinars a quarter to assist Sales Team . (Marketing) Measure: # of new consulting clients EOY Target: 24 Measure EOY Target Start Date, End Date # of new webinars 4 07/01/15 12/31/15 01/12/14 11/01/15 3.1.1.1 Develop 15 minute "Basic Package" presentation. (Crystal O' Langdon) % Complete 3.1.1.2 R eview existing presentations format for consistency. (Crystal O' Langdon) % Complete 100% 01/12/13 03/22/14 3.1.1.3 Create a consistent slide templ ate for Webinars. (Thomas Wright) % Compl ete of standard templates 100% 07/13/15 12/31/15 3.1.2 Develop a new software program to track clients (IT Group) % of program com pleted 100% 06/19/15 12/31/15 4 Maintenance Contracts: To be viewed as the top technology resource in the western region. 4.1 Maintenance Contracts: Acquire an average of 5 new maintenance contracts per month ( Marketing) ( 12/31/15) Department Goals and Team Member Goals 4.1.1 Identify and m aintain list of 50 target custom ers that could benefit from a m aintenance contract. (Marketing) 4.2 Licensing: Acquire 1,500 total licenses by the end of the year. ( Operations) ( 12/31/14) Measure: avg m onthly # of new m aintenance contracts EOY Target: 0 Measure EOY Target Start Date, End Date # of target custom ers 50 01/01/13 12/31/14 Measure: # of new licenses EOY Target: 1,500 Measure EOY Target Start Date, End Date # Licenses 560 01/01/13 12/31/14 4.2.2 Grow new custom er conversions by 100% to an average of 75/m onth. (IT Group) # of new licenses 75 01/01/13 12/31/14 4.2.3 Grow new custom er trials by 25% to m ark of 85 New Trials per m onth. (IT Group) # of New Trials 85 01/01/13 12/31/14 % Churn 8.01% 01/01/13 12/31/14 % Complete 100% Department Goals and Team Member Goals 4.2.1 Grow average m onthly licenses by 40% to 560 (IT Group) 4.2.4 Maintain or decrease the Churn Rate of Licenses which is currently at 8.01%. (Custom er Service) 4.2.4.1 Secure coaching on Customer Success Manager for team. (Crystal O' Langdon) 4.3 Maintain 85% of our current customers. ( Administration) ( 12/31/15) Measure: % increase in custom er base annually 12/09/13 EOY Target: 85% Measure EOY Target Start Date, End Date % com pleted 100% 01/01/13 12/31/13 % compl ete 100% 01/20/13 06/30/15 % compl ete 100% 01/01/11 04/30/12 4.3.1.2 Develop campai gn material for new markets. (Sales Director) % compl ete 100% 03/01/12 12/31/13 4.3.1.3 Create new web pages (rough draft) for the campai gn promotion. (R andall Scion) % Complete 100% 06/01/12 05/31/13 % Com plete 100% 06/01/13 12/31/15 % increase in close rate 70% 01/01/13 12/31/15 Department Goals and Team Member Goals 4.3.1 Im plem ent m arketing cam paign to draw in new m arkets. (Marketing) 4.3.1.1 Research and identify 6 opportunities in new markets that company could expand into. (Joanne & Tracy) (JoAnne Rogers) 4.3.1.1.1 Compl ete a competitive anal ysi s study of our current and prospective markets. (Tom Jones) 4.3.2 Develop a com petitive analysis survey for our m arket. (Adm inistration) 4.3.3 Increase sales close rate by 25% (Marketing) INTERNAL/OPERATIONAL STRATEGICOBJECTIVES&ORGANIZATION GOALS 5 Innovation/Product Development: Continue to develop technology innovation. 5.1 Launch integration with 2 other applications. ( IT Group) ( 12/31/15) Department Goals and Team Member Goals 5.1.1 Map out entire integration process (Web Specialists) Measure: Applications Integrated EOY Target: 100% Measure EOY Target Start Date, End Date Map com pleted 100% 01/01/14 06/30/15 6 Overall Operations: Develop and maintain an infrastructure that allows for a virtual office and efficient overhead. 6.1 Set up computers to be accessed from any destination. ( Administration) ( 12/31/15) Department Goals and Team Member Goals 6.1.1 Purchase necessary software/hardware or m ake arrangem ents with an internet service provider for virtual access. (IT Group) Measure: % com plete of com puter accessible from any destination EOY Target: 100% Measure EOY Target Start Date, End Date % com plete 100% 01/01/15 6.2 Define all procedures and process in writing in order to support projected growth. ( Administration) ( 12/31/15) Measure: % of process in writing. EOY Target: 6.3 Blogs & Newsletters: Consistently timely relevant thought leadership that is developed, published and preserved. ( Marketing) ( 12/31/13) Measure: % com plete EOY Target: 100 Measure EOY Target Start Date, End Date 6.3.1 Write 1 blog post per week (Web Specialists) # of blog posts 52 01/01/13 12/31/13 6.3.2 Write 2 newsletters per m onth. (Adm inistration) # of newsletters 2 01/01/13 12/31/13 Department Goals and Team Member Goals PEOPLE ANDLEARNINGSTRATEGICOBJECTIVES&ORGANIZATION GOALS 7 Training: Actively help our team to develop and grow professional and personally by supporting a flexible work life, providing intellectually engaging work, and fair compensation. 7.1 Train sales people in best practices ( Marketing) ( 11/30/15) Measure: actual attendance per year by all 12 m anagers EOY Target: 12 7.2 Develop better communication and presentation skills to increase ability to work with and assist clients. ( Customer Service) ( 12/31/13) Measure: % com plete in com m unication/presentation skills EOY Target: 100% 8 Community Involvement: Develop and implement a corporate giving strategy that is in line with our competitive advantages. 8.1 Manage the selection, contribution and customer communication of nonprofit donations. Target is 15% of revenue. ( Administration) ( 12/31/15) Department Goals and Team Member Goals 8.1.1 Determ ine budget for Com m unity Involvem ent party. (Custom er Service) 8.1.1.1 Solicit ideas for theme, entertainment, catering for Community Involvement party. (Thomas Wright) Measure: % of license revenue EOY Target: 15% Measure EOY Target Start Date, End Date % Com plete 100% 01/01/13 05/31/15 % Complete 100% 01/01/15 07/31/15 9 Long Term Strategic Objective (No assignment, far reaching and broad based, 3-5 years out) [**Sample Goal Cascading**] 9.1 Organizational Goal ( Corporate-wide, generally not assigned, 18-24 months) [ **Sample Goal Cascading**] ( Operations) ( 12/31/14) Measure: % com plete EOY Target: 100% Measure EOY Target Start Date, End Date 9.1.1 Departm ent Goal [Corporate Action Item ] (Assigned to the Departm ent responsible for seeing that the goal and its actions are com pleted, 12- 18 m onths) $ $5,000 01/01/13 09/01/14 9.1.1.1 Team Member Goal (or Dept Actions) (Assigned to Team Member responsible for seeing this goal compl eted, 6-12 months) % Complete 100% 01/01/13 06/30/14 % Complete 100% 03/01/13 05/31/13 Department Goals and Team Member Goals 9.1.1.1.1 Team Member Acti on (Assigned to the Team Member responsible for seeing this action completed, short term items onl y (30, 60, 90 days)) PLAN IMPLEMENTATION • Appoint a strategic plan manager • Hold people accountable (now that they are able) Put in place an incentive compensation plan Coach for achievement • Empower managers • Hold effective strategy meetings - first Mondays Hold annual retreat - second week in December APPENDIX A: STRATEGIC PLANNING TERMS Strategic Planning Term Definition Core Values/Guiding Principles How people want to behave with each other in the organization. Value statem ents describe actions that are the living enactm ent of the fundam ental values held by m ost individuals within the organization. What are our guiding principles, as a group, to adhere to no m atter what? Core Purpose/Mission Statement The organization's core purpose. Why do we exist? Vision Statement ( 5+ years) Where you are headed — your future state — your Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal. Where are we going? Competitive Advantages A characteristic(s) of an organization that allows it to m eet their custom er's need(s) better than their com petition can. What are we best at in our m arket? Organization-Wide Strategies Your strategies are the general m ethods you intend to use to reach your vision. A strategy is like an um brella. It is a general statem ent(s) that guides and covers a set of activities. You can develop strategies for your whole organization, a departm ent, a specific set of activities, or a guiding statem ent for a year. No m atter what the level, a strategy answers the question "how." Long- term , broad, continuous statem ents that address all areas of your organization. If you have a five- year vision, Long-Term Strategic Objectives ( 3+ these would be three- to four- year interm ediate guideposts on the way there. What m ust we focus on to achieve years) our vision? Short-Term Items ( 1 year) Short- term item s that convert the Strategic Objectives into specific perform ance targets. Effective goals clearly state what, when, who and are specifically m easurable — they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Responsible person, tim e bound (SMART). What m ust we do to achieve our long- term Strategic Objectives? Key Performance Indicators ( KPIs) Metric and non- m etric m easurem ents essential to the com pletion of an organization's goals. Each organization narrows the possible list down to a m anageable group of KPIs that m ake the m ost difference to perform ance. KPIs are linked to goals. How will we know we have achieved our goals? ISM645 Business Initiative IT Planning Matrix Worksheet v 1.2 The following worksheet will help you develop a matrix of IT Systems or Initiatives required driven by the Business Initiatives as communicated in the Corporate Strategy. IT Strategic Plan to Support Business Initiatives Use the following matrix to list the IT systems that are required to support the planned business initiatives. Ensure to include any necessary notes. Business Initiative IT System or Initiative Required Year(s) this project will take place Ball Park Estimates Time (# Days) Resources (# FTE) Cost ($) Approved (Y/N) Related Notes: Here is an Example of an IT Initiative to Business Initiative Matrix: Business Initiative IT System or Initiative Required Year(s) this project will take place Ball Park Estimates Time Resources Cost Approved Loyalty Campaign E-mail Distribution System 2014 n/a n/a n/a Yes Mail Out Satisfaction Survey 10% Off “New Purchase” Campaign All Campaigns E-mail Distribution System E-mail Distribution System 2014 (See note 1) 40 days 2 FTE $10,000 No 2015 (See note 2) 20 days 1 FTE $5,000 Yes Campaign Reporting System Servers, Workstations 2014-2016 (See note 3) 200 days 2 FTE $10,000 Yes 2016 40 days 3 FTE $50,000 Yes Product X 2016 200 days 10 FTE $100,000 Yes Expand into Asia Develop Related Product X Related Notes: 1. Survey Capable. Our current e-mail distribution system is not capable of handling in-line survey questions. We will need to add support for this capability. We are assuming we will go with the simplest solution (link to a survey Web page) and will create our own survey instead of purchasing a survey package. 2. Coupon Capable. Our current e-mail distribution system is not capable of handling attachments or coupons. We will need to add support for this capability. We are assuming we will go with the simplest solution (embedding the coupon in the e-mail). 3. The new Campaign Reporting system will consist of the following project components: a. Define brand/product performance metrics b. Develop data warehouse architecture c. Design/build data warehouse/data marts d. Design/build ETL mechanisms e. Design/build dashboards, queries, and reports
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Explanation & Answer

Attached.

Running Head: ALIGNING IT STRATEGIES WITH BUSINESS INITIATIVES

Aligning IT Strategy with Business Initiatives
Student's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date of Submission

1

ALIGNING IT STRATEGIES WITH BUSINESS INITIATIVES

2

Aligning IT Strategies with Business Initiatives
Information Technology has become an integral part of every business in the
contemporary workplace. As a result, business enterprises have high expectations for their
technology investment. Mot organizations have integrated IT into their business operations to
reduce costs, enhance productivity, increase security, and improve workflow as well as
communication. As evidenced in the current case, the company has various business initiatives
that it plans to realize in the next three years. However, it is critical to integrate IT strategies into
the current business initiatives to ensure the business strategies are met and to avoid a
disconnection between IT strategies and business initiatives that might lead to the collapse of the
business enterprise.
Alignment of the IT Strategic Plan and the Strategic Business Initiatives
Business
Initiative

IT System or
Initiative
Required

Years this
Project
will be
Completed
Revenue
Development 2014
Growth
of social
media
strategy
Productivity Creation of
2014
Improvement Referral
programs
Professional Development 2015
Services
of company
website and
blog
Maintenance Building and 2015
Contracts
integration
of Contract
Management
System

Ball Park
Estimates/
The time
or (#Days)
10 days

5 days

Resources
(#FTE)

Cost
($)

Approved
(Y/N)

$10,000

Yes

$50,000

Yes

40 days

100 days

Yes

$50,000

Yes

ALIGNING IT STRATEGIES WITH BUSINESS INITIATIVES
Innovation
or Product
development

Embracing
of Internet of
Things and
purchase of
smart
devices to
integrate
analytics
platforms
into the
business

2016

6 months

3
$500,000

Yes

Potential Future I...


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